Inesite is a striking manganese silicate prized by collectors for its vibrant pink to reddish-pink color and distinct radiating crystal sprays. It is most commonly found as dense, spherical or sheaf-like aggregates in hydrothermal veins, particularly within manganese-rich metamorphic environments.
Is this inesite?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch inesite with a known reference. Inesite sits at Mohs 5.5-6, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Inesite leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Inesite typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: pink, reddish-pink, brownish-pink.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: triclinic. Typical habit: radiating clusters, spherical aggregates, bladed crystals.
Often confused with
Inesite vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside inesite
Minerals reported to co-occur with inesite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Ca₂Mn₇Si₁₀O₂₈(OH)₂·5H₂O
- Mohs hardness
- 5.5-6
- Density
- 3.03 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Triclinic
- Crystal habit
- Radiating Clusters, Spherical Aggregates, Bladed Crystals
- Cleavage
- Perfect in One Direction
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Collector, Specimen
- Host rock
- Hydrothermal Veins in Manganese Deposits
- Typical price
- $20-200 for thumbnail to cabinet specimens
Where rockhounds find inesite
1 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Halsbrücke, Saxony, Germany
- Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia
- Wessels Mine, Kalahari Manganese Field, South Africa
- Kyaukse, Mandalay, Myanmar
Field-hunting tip
Look in hydrothermal veins in manganese deposits country, the host setting where inesite typically forms. If you start seeing calcite, apophyllite, datolite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a radiating clusters, spherical aggregates, bladed crystals habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in California. Start trip planning there.
Common questions
How do you identify inesite?+
Where is inesite found?+
Can I find inesite in the United States?+
How much is inesite worth?+
What rocks look like inesite?+
What minerals are found with inesite?+
What kind of rock does inesite form in?+
What is inesite used for?+
Find inesite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
